Process of producing chemical compounds.



-N0. 757,036. PATENTED APR. 12, 1904.

J. J. GRIFFIN.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS.

, APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16.1902. RENEWED SEPT. a, 1902. no MODEL.

UNITED STATES ATENT Patented April 12, 19 Q4- rrrca.

PROCESS OF PRODUCiNG CHEMICAL. COMPOUNDS.

SPECIFICATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,036, dated Aprilv 12, 1904. Application filed January 16, 1902. Renewed September 3, 1902. Serial No. 122,010. (No specimens.)

- To all whom/7125 may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN J. GRIFFIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVashington, District of Columbia, ave invented newand useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Chemical Compounds, of which the folatures, yielding acetylene.

lowing is a specification.

The chemical activity of certain metallic carbids is well known. For example, the carbids of the alkali metals, lithium, sodium, and potassium,react on water at ordinary temper- Carbids of the alkaline-earth metals, calcium, strontium, and

' barium, also react on water to give acetylene.

trodes with any desired electrolyte, whether organic or inorganic, in solutions of normal temperature or heated or as ai'used bath and in an electrolytic cell with or without diaphragrn, according to the desired product.

The electrolyte employed may be an aqueous or other solution or other liquid capable of chemically reacting on the carhid. For

the purposes of my invention the electrolyte must be capable of yielding an electrolytic product which will react either on the electrolyte, solvent, oneor both electrodes, or on the product resulting from the direct chemical reaction of the electrolyte on the cal-bid.

Such electrolytic product may be one or both ions, any elementor compound resulting from he union of one or both ions, not including the electrolyte,or any secondary product, such as may result from the action of one or both r to give ethane.

electrodes. The product of the direct chemcal reaction may be any gaseous, liquid, or.

solid element or compound, but, as stated,5

above, is usually a gas.

The electrolysis of an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid with electrodes of calcium carbid will serve a concrete illustration of the invention.

' The accompanying drawing is a transverse vertical section of a diaphragm-cell for carrying out the process under these conditions.

The reactions in this case are as follows:

The water of the solution reacts on both electrodes to give acetylene. At the cathode two atoms of hydrogen react on one molecule of acetylene to give ethylene, and four atoms of hydrogen react on one molecule of acetylene further reacts on the sulfuric acid in solution to give ethyl sulfuric acid. At the anode two atoms of oxygen react on one molecule of acetylene to give glyoxal, and four atoms of oxygen react on one molecule of acetylene to 7 give oxalic acid.

\Vhilc the various reactions and resulting compounds whichimay be produced by this process are too n ,merous to be enumerated in this specification, the following will give a further view of the scope of the invention.

1. [/1 m'q/m 1 c eta "rams.

Alkaline hyposullites: ethylene at cathode andthio-glyoxal and other sulfur compounds at anode.

Nitric acid and nitrates: ethylene at cathode and cyanic acid and various nitric compounds at anode.

Alkaline nitrites and hyponitrites: ethyl- 5 ene andethanc at cathode and cyanic acid and nitro compounds at anode.

I'lydrochloric, hydrobromic, and hydriodic acids and their salts: ethane, ethylene, and diiodo-ethanc at the cathode and various halogen 9 1 addition products of acetylene at the anode.

Potassium and sodium hydroxids: ethylene and ethane at the cathode and glyoxal at the ions on the electrolyte, solvent, or one or both anode.

The ethylene so produced 5 l Ammonium hydoxid: alkyl substitutdd am- 'monias and cyanids at the cathode and cyanids at the anode.

'tion products of acetylene at the anode.

Anilin and other aromatic bases and their salts will give amide and amino substituted ethanes at the cathode and acetylene addition products,corresponding to the anion of the salt used, at the anode.

For the. production of certain compounds an insoluble substance in a state of fine subdivision maybe maintained in suspension in the electrolyte and enter into reaction with theelectrochemical product.

I claim- I l. The process of producing chemical compounds, which'consists in passing an electric current from an anode of a carbid through an electrolyte which reacts chemically on said carbid and which yields an electrolytic product which will react on the product of said chemical reaction to give the desired compound, as set forth.

2. The process of producing chemical compounds, which consists in passing an electric current from an anode of calcium carbid through an electrolyte which reacts chemically on calcium carbid and which yields an electrolytic product which will react on the product of said chemical reaction to give the desired compound, as set forth.

3. The process of producing chemical com pounds, which consists in passing an electric current to a cathode of a carbid, through an electrolyte which yields an electrolytic product which will react on said carbid, as set forth. 4:. The process of producing chemical compounds, which consists in passing an electric current to acathode of calcium carbid,through an electrolyte which yields an electrolytic product which will react on calcium carbid, as set forth.

5. The process of producing chemical compounds, which consists in passing an electric current to a cathode of a carbid, through an electrolyte which reacts chemically on said carbid and which yields an electrolytic product which will react on the product of said chem-' pounds, whicli consists in passing an electric current to a cathode of calcium carbid, through an electrolyte which reacts chemically on calcium carbid and which yields an electrolytic product which will react on the product of said chemical reaction to give the desired com pound, asset forth.

7. The process of producing chemical compounds, which consists in passing an electric current between electrodes each of which consists of a'carbid, and through an electrolyte which is chemically active toward said carbid, as set forth.

8. The process'of producing chemical compounds, which consists in passing an electric current between electrodes each of which consists of a carbid, and through an electrolyte which is electrochemically active toward said carbid, as set forth.

9. The process of producing chemical compounds, which consists in passing an electric current between electrodes each of which consists of a carbid, and one of calcium carbid, and through an electrolyte which is chemically active'toward calcium carbid, as set forth.

10. The process of producing chemical compounds, which consists in passing an electric current between electrodes each of which consists of a carbid, and one of calcium carbid, and through an electrolyte which is electrochemically active toward calcium carbid, as set forth.

11. The process of producing chemical compounds, which consists in passing an electric current between electrodes each of which consists of calcium carbid, and through an elec trolyte which is chemically active toward calcium ca bid, as set forth.

12. The process of-producing chemical compounds. which consists in passing an electric current between electrodes each of which consists of calcium carbid, and through an electrolyte which is electrochemically active to- IIO IZO-

through an aqueous solution 0f.sulfuric acid entering into reaction with the electrochem- 10 to a cathode-0f calcium carbid, as set forth. ical product, as set forth.

16/ The process of producing chemical com- In testimony whereof I afiixmy signature in pounds, which consists in, passing'an electric presence of two witnesses.

current between electrodes, one of which consists of a carbid, and throughan electrolyte JOHN GRIFFIN which is electrochemically active toward'said Witnesses: v carbi'cl, and maintaining in suspension in said EUGENE A. BYRNES,

electrolyte an insoluble substance capable of CHAPMAN W. FOWLER. 

